The Haunted Horse

Once there was a haunted horse. It was haunted by a goat. Sometimes it felt that it was being watched and it was. It was being watched by a goat. The goat was the reincarnation of a lion which had eaten a lot of Christians in the colosseum in Ancient Rome.

Alison knew this because she was a horse psychic. She had been a dog and cat psychic but when she was thirty six she discovered the true extent of her powers. Walking by the horse field near the river when she felt a spiritual connection with a chestnut mare who was looking over the fence. It seemed to be asking her for grass and when she pulled a handful of long, lush grass, the horse ate it. Then Alison felt that the horse was asking for a biscuit. Could this be true? She ran home for a hobnob. The horse ate it in one.

Alison was astounded. She had never felt so close to a living creature, not even her boyfriend Tom who she had been living with for eighteen months. That bond was nowhere near as strong as the psychic link she developed with the horse over just a couple of hours. Perhaps Tom was not psychically attuned to her or perhaps it was fate that brought her and the haunted horse together. She decided she could not tell anyone, for who would believe her. Her efforts to establish herself as an animal psychic and therapist had, after all, met with scepticism and silence.

She had put postcards in half a dozen shop windows advertising her services, not only animal psychic readings but also animal homeopathy, crystal and colour therapies. It was a comprehensive service but she had only been contacted by two clients in over seven months. One was an old lady who thought Alison was offering a dog walking service and was surprised to be asked to pay for the hour they spent chatting.

The other was her friend Theresa, who took her up on the introductory offer of a consultation for her ginger tomcat, Buster but didn't carry forward any of the recommended therapies. Alison had prescribed placing citrine (yellow quartz) in Buster's basket to help him overcome the urge to kill birds but she was sure Theresa had not followed up on the treatment. Theresa certainly didn't buy the citrine (yellow quartz) from her and was evasive about the matter when pressed. She claimed to have found a supplier online and changed the subject. Alison's worst suspicions were confirmed six weeks later when Buster was run over by a milk tanker.

Buster was killed instantly. Alison's relationship with Theresa suffered. She tried not to be judgmental but felt Theresa's neglect of her animal friend's spiritual welfare would always come between them. She stopped going round to Theresa's house and found it difficult even to be civil to her when they met.

All this was a trial, obviously, and it was not helped by Tom, who had never fully supported her, undermined her by suggesting that she should concentrate on her college work.

Despite being initially enthused by her English degree (with Creative Writing option) she found the tutors cold and unresponsive. Moira Scholes, in particular, had marked her work unfairly in the first assessment. As she told Paul, the course leader, the mark did not take into account the deep feelings that she had expressed in the essay and anyway, she thought, Moira Scholes was younger than her so what would she know about anything. Paul initially appeared to empathise, but ended up talking about the quality of her referencing and she sensed that his suggestions for extra reading were more a criticism than an attempt to rectify the injustice.

When the horse told her its name was Alabaster she knew she had found a kindred spirit. Alabaster offered to act as her spirit guide if she would help exorcise the goat. She agreed.

It was cruel to coop up a sensitive creature like Alabaster with such a manifestly wicked entity as the goat. Its name, she established, was Bazreal and the psychic trauma of eating the Christians had sent it over to the dark side. All the time they felt its malign presence. It would stand behind them and watch her petting Alabaster's muzzle. Sometimes it attempted to get between them, jumping up and snatching biscuits.

Alison made it her business to find out who owned the field and who 'owned' Alabaster, though the very idea of 'owning' one of our animal friends is clearly repugnant and comparable to slavery. Sandra Legat's response gave a clear indication of her unenlightened attitudes.

When asked, ‘Do you 'own' the chestnut mare in the field by the river?’, with the speech marks around the word 'own' made clearly audible, she had replied 'yes' without a moment’s hesitation. At first she seemed friendly and approachable but became defensive and even hostile when Alison told her she would have to send the goat away. She insisted that the goat had been bought as a companion for the horse, that the horse, who's name she claimed was Molly, was perfectly well looked after, that her daughters fed, groomed and attended to Molly most diligently and, finally, that it was none of Alison's business and she should leave the Legat's property. The woman was clearly obsessed with possessions.

It was not this first meeting which led to the police being called. That came some time later. Given Sandra Legat's obduracy it was inevitable Alison would have to take matters into her own hands. After several more telephone calls, one of which ended with Mr Richard Legat being abusive, Alison saw she must remove the goat herself.

On the first occasion she simply let it out and shooed it away but Bazreal was disinclined to relinquish its hold and returned to the field. It was on the fourth attempt that she went with a halter improvised from washing line, and took the goat up through the bluebell woods, down the green lane and released it into a field of cattle three miles away.  All the way the malevolent beast bucked and struggled against her. She did worry that it may try to use its dark powers on the cattle but understood that cows are not so psychically sensitive as horses, humans, cats or dogs, and, having the advantage of numbers, could resist the wicked influence of the goat.

Unfortunately Alison was seen and when she arrived home the police were waiting. She explained the situation as patiently as she could, but the police either did not, or would not understand the gravity of the situation. The older officer became quite brusque and told her that she would be charged with theft and if she persisted.

The imposition of the ASBO came much later, after Alison tried to reason with the Legat daughters instead. Children are more responsive to the spirit world. She waited for them at the field before and after school, in the trees to be sure that the parents were not with them. There was no reasoning with the adults now. If she was at fault, Alison might admit that she was perhaps a tad too forceful in her imprecations to the little girls and that her language was somewhat intemperate. The children, influenced by their parents' materialist view of the world, would never fulfil their spiritual potential.

The courts took no regard of the extenuating circumstances and imposed an order which prevented her from approaching Sandra Legat, her children or her property. The goat Bazreal was more cunning and more powerful than she could ever have conceived. It was a miracle, and a testament the spiritual superiority of horses, that Alabaster took things so calmly. Alison was in awe of the kindness the poor creature showed especially in relation to Wendy's illness.

Wendy, also a student at the college, was a great support to Alison when Tom went to live with his sister for a trial separation. The goat Bazreal had finally showed its true colours by trying wreck her relationship with Tom.

Wendy was the only person who offered her any comfort, even after Alison had been excluded from the college. It was only fair that in return Alison should try to help poor Wendy with her cancer treatment.

Tom said that he had done all he could for Alison but this was not true. Moira Scholes had refused to accept Alison's self-certification in mitigation of her absences, and Tom's only contribution was to tell her that Scholes was right to insist on a doctor's note. How could doctors, with their reliance on conventional medicine, even begin to comprehend the spiritual malaise that was afflicting her?

She had consulted Peter, a homeopath and healer, and he helped her to understand the nature of some of her illnesses and how she needed to think positively and to surround herself with positive-minded people. Bazreal's influence grew daily and yet Tom refused to sense it or to give her money to pay Peter.

She took solace in the fact that she and Alabaster could be of help to Wendy. Wendy had not dealt with certain issues in her childhood and the drugs she had been prescribed were weakened her and reduced her ability to fight the cancer at a psychic level. Alison visited Alabaster after dark. The advice the horse gave her was invaluable. Wendy should stop taking the harmful drugs and concentrate of increasing her positivity through the use of crystals and essential oils.

In the meantime Alabaster was preparing for a final confrontation with the goat Bazreal on the astral plane. It would be a hard and terrible battle and the consequences far reaching.

By this time she had severed all links with the college. She could, in no way, see how her emails to Moira Scholes could be construed as threatening and when Alison got her home phone number and tried to reason with the woman, she found herself before a kangaroo court. She was told that her presence on the course was no longer tenable and that if she returned she would be escorted from the campus but, as Alabaster said, she could now direct her energies to where they were most needed.

Tom insisted that he wanted his flat back and that it was all over. He continued to pay the rent but was adamant that she set a deadline for vacating. She felt that this was unreasonable and Wendy backed her up, though she found it difficult to give practical assistance because, obviously, when she stopped taking the prescribed medicines her health weakened somewhat.

Alison knew that this was only a temporary setback. Wendy's body needed to rediscover its own ability to heal and would once the toxic commercial drugs had been expelled.

The conflict between the forces of good and evil were reaching a climax. Alison knew that the next days were crucial. Tom had agreed not to press charges for the wound she inflicted with the scissors if she agreed to leave the flat within a fortnight. He said he wished her no ill but Wendy's family had undone all her good work.

Wendy was just on the point of rallying. One more push was all that was necessary. The family's intervention was ill-advised, cruel and, as it turned out, fatal. When Alison called on Wendy she was greeted by a distraught sister who told her that she had done enough damage.

On the contrary, Alison reasoned, it was the family's interference that had clearly led to her demise. They must take responsibility. It was only when Wendy's brother appeared that Alison was forced to retreat.

Now the crisis came to its terrifying climax. On the astral plain the horse and the goat were locked in a final struggle. Sparks and colours spiraled and exploded in the air, spun like Catherine wheels. Alabaster's mane flew and the goat's eyes glimmered in the sky, the oblong pupils flashing with wickedness.

A message came through from Alabaster. The brave little horse had succeeded in subduing Bazreal. Alison must hurry. She ran home and found a large, sharp kitchen knife. She had only a short time. She returned to the field and cut the goat’s throat. It took longer to die than she expected but, as it kicked its last, she experienced a sense of peace such as she had not felt before.

 The horse nuzzled against her.

‘It's over Alabaster.’ she murmured, ‘It's all over.’

‘No Alison,’ the horse answered, ‘it is never over.’ The spirit of Bazreal had taken up residence in the earthly body of the youngest Legat daughter. Alison knew exactly what she had to do.